As parents, the thought of dinnertime can be stressful. You have to deal with picky eaters, screaming toddlers, and big messes. But dinnertime can also be one of the most memorable times you have with your kids – in a good way!
Believe it or not, you can create a quality connection with your kids over dinner. Time spent around the dinner table is important for establishing family values, expanding your kid’s vocabulary, and even boosting their self-esteem. In fact, you can help impact and improve just about every area in your child’s life by consistently gathering around the dinner table and sharing in conversation.
We’ve made it simple with 6 helpful tips and 60 must-try conversation starters that will change the way you think about dinnertime.
6 Tips to Get Your Family Talking at Dinner
Get your family talking at dinner tonight with these 6 tips:
- Keep things consistent – Ideally, your family could sit down to dinner together every night. But we know that in the real world, that’s not always possible. We all have very busy lives. There’s work schedules, homework, and after-school activities to consider. The most important thing is to find as many nights as you can each week where everyone can sit down to eat at the same time. Consistently sharing meals helps to maintain a connection.
- Think beyond dinner – For some families, dinner may not be the best option for gathering around the table, and that is OK. Think about what time of day your family is together most. That could be breakfast or lunch – whenever the family is all together.
- Do what you can – There will be times when one or more members of your family aren’t able to be there. That’s OK. Keep things going by making sure whoever is home sits down together each night for dinner. It lets everyone know that family time is important and that sharing a meal matters most.
- Set technology aside – Eliminating technology will prevent distractions that may interrupt your conversation. Put away phones and tablets and turn off the TV when everyone sits down for dinner.
- Keep it light – Family conversations help to bring about stronger relationships. Whenever you can, try and keep the conversation light and fun. It will help reduce any tension and will help to open your kids up to more serious conversations later.
- Work on listening – Part of having a good conversation is being able to listen. Establish rules from the beginning that when someone is talking, everyone else needs to be quiet and listen. When your kids feel heard, they will be more open to listening to others when they speak.
60 Family Dinner Conversation Starters
Ready to get the conversation started? Check out our list of 60 family dinner conversation starters.
- What is your all-time favorite toy?
- What is your dream vacation?
- What is your favorite meal that Mom/Dad cooks?
- What are you most thankful for?
- What is your favorite place in our home?
- What is your favorite smell and why?
- What is your favorite thing about our family?
- What is your favorite/least favorite chore?
- If you were granted three wishes, what would they be?
- Can you guess what ingredients are in tonight’s dinner?
- If you could create a new holiday, what would it be?
- What is your favorite number and why?
- What are three foods you would never eat?
- What is the first thing you would buy if you won the lottery?
- What do you want to be when you grow up?
- If you could have any animal for a pet, what would it be?
- What is your greatest strength?
- What do you do to get out of a bad mood?
- What is your favorite movie?
- What is your dream job?
- What is your favorite hobby and what is a hobby you’d like to start?
- If you could have one superpower what would it be?
- If you had to eat a worm, how would you cook it?
- What was the best and worst thing about your day?
- If you could be a character from a book, who would you be?
- What is the thing you worry most about?
- What time of day is your favorite and why?
- What state would you want to live in and why?
- If you could make any food against the law, what would it be?
- What do you know more about than your parents?
- What is your favorite dessert?
- What makes our family special?
- Who is your favorite movie character and why?
- What is your earliest memory?
- What did you do to help someone else today?
- What is your favorite restaurant and why?
- If you could be an animal, what would you be and why?
- What is the best and worst thing about having a cell phone?
- If you could do your day over again, what would you do differently?
- What are your goals for the next 2 years?
- What is your favorite season and why?
- What would be your perfect day?
- Tell us about something that made you happy today.
- Would you rather live at the beach or in the mountains and why?
- If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
- If you could make anything for dinner, what would it be?
- What three words would you use to describe yourself?
- What makes you feel loved?
- What is your biggest fear?
- If you could have one dream come true, what would it be?
- If you could be a famous person, who would you be and why?
- If you could pick your own name, what would it be?
- What is the nicest thing someone has done for you?
- If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
- What is your favorite family tradition?
- What are the qualities that make you a good friend?
- Where would you like to go on our next family vacation?
- What is your most embarrassing moment?
- What is your favorite book and why?
- What is one thing you couldn’t live without?
With these tips and family dinner conversation starters, dinner is soon to be your family’s favorite time of day!
